1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support apparatus for plyometric exercise, and in support apparatus providing multiple support platform surfaces of varying heights.
2. Description of Related Art
Plyometrics is a form of exercise performed by athletes to generate fast, powerful movements, either for improving performance in particular sport or to improve fitness generally. Plyometrics involve ‘explosive’ movements such as jumping or sudden bursts of acceleration which cause the muscle to be rapidly loaded and then contracted. The aim of plyometrics is to create the greatest amount of force in the shortest amount of time, resulting in stronger muscles and improved athletic performance. Plyometrics can help in building speed and strength to improve a person's performance of a specific action such as jumping, running or throwing.
A plyometric box, or plyo box, is an exercise apparatus that is used to facilitate the performance of certain plyometric exercises. The plyo box provides a raised stable platform for a person to jump onto and off. A typical plyometric exercise involves a person jumping with both feet onto the platform from a standing start on the ground and then jumping of the plyo box to return to the start position. Traditional plyo boxes comprise a wooden or metal frame supporting a rigid platform. Such rigid boxes are generally provided in a wide range of sizes and are nestable for storage. A disadvantage which such boxes is the risk of injury to the user if they slip or fail to correctly land on the platform while performing the exercise. It is known to provide boxes formed from foam or similar material. Such ‘soft’ boxes do not injure the user if they happen to fall onto the boxes.
Plyo boxes are provided in varying heights to vary the difficulty of the exercises by varying the jump height, and to accommodate persons of varying heights. Multiple plyo boxes may also be stacked to provide varying heights. However, the requirement to provide multiple plyo boxes of varying heights or multiple stacking plyo boxes requires the purchase of multiple boxes and the space to store these boxes.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved exercise apparatus for plyometric exercise which addresses the above described problems and/or which offers improvements generally.